Improvement in vault-cover locks



AQRiCHARDsoN.

N0.122,0eo.

Improvement in VauIt-Cover Lock;

Patented Dec. 19, 1871.

feg. if.,

UNITED STATES ANDREW RICHARDSON, OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN VAULT-COVER LOCKS.V

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,060, dated December 19, 1871.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW RIOEARDsON,of New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Improvelnents in Automatic Trap-Door and Vault- COver Lock 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable Others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification.

My invention consists in the application to a vault-cover or trap-door, Or any like cover Or top requiring to be fastened On the outside, Of an automatically-lockin g catch adapted to be locked by gravity when the cover or door is let down. The said improved a-utomatic fastenin gs or locks are more especially designed for locking the coalvault covers in sidewalks and the trap-doors On the roofs of houses.

Figure I is a sectional eleva-tion of a vaultcover with my improved fastening, and Fig. 2 is a top view of the same.

A is the permanent vault-cover with the ordinary round hole for opening into the vault, and B the cover therefor. To the lower side of this cover, near one edge, I pivot a T-catch, C, so

that one end, D, will swing under the flange E of the permanent cover A, Or other permanent stop, to lock the cover B 5 and to prevent it from tilting and swinging from under said flange or other stop I provide a swinging locking-catch, F, with a notch, G, arranged tO engage the arm H ofthe catch C as soon as said catch comes to a vertical position by the Swingin g of a-rln D under the ange E. This catch F also hangs from` the cover B, and takes efect in locking catch C by the action of gravity, which also maintains it, as well as the catch C, in the locked condition, and makes it impossible to raise the cover at the upper side until the catch F is lifted Off from H by hand.

This simple contrivance is less expensive than the chains commonly used, besides being altO- gether better.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The pi voted catches C D H and F G, constructed and applied to a vault-cover, A B E, as and for the purpose described.

ANDREW RICHARDSON.

Witnesses:

ARCHI. MONTGOMERY, GEORGE C. VAN DEVEER. 

